Andeh

Interesting topic! I settled on 125mm cavities with knauf 32, should have gone up a thickness or two! Making up for it with extra floor & roof insulation (bungalow, so lots there)

Change to large sliding doors, then allow them to sit in a recess below tile flooring level? Build up floor over default level. Would create a nice flush finished floor still!

We are at around £2250psqm for a "turn key" brick & block project with a builder, large 275sqm bungalow, with all the usual ashp, mvhr, UFH, large over hangs, mono pitch, extra insulation, lots of aluminium windows & large sliding doors etc. Budget kitchen though & nothing for driveways or landscaping.

Also very keen to know!!

Hi all, I've been using this site to great effect for several months now, including using it to help drive decisions like ASHP, MVHR and extra insulation...but I'd like to start posting up our build to seek advice & pointers, as well as show a new project to everyone. How am I best to do this? Many thanks,

Looks very smart!!

Thanks very much all! Yes, have a build zone warranty from day 1...any experience with them in this scenario? LTV is very good, only borrowing about 30% of value.

Very interesting thread! I quite like OPs original design (but then I also like my big black SUV on big Alloys).... On the other hand the property design posted above looks half finished & as if someone ran out of time so just stopped. Taste is always an interesting one!

We are going through our finances and have a problem 'timing gap' between builders likely last payment & mortgage coming through. We are borrowing money through family to cover the last couple of months of build, before we take out a normal mortgage & repay them all.....all to avoid a self build, high interest, mortgage. However, there is a risk of builder needing final repayment before the mortgage clears which give sus the extra funds to pay this cost & repay everyone. At what point of our 'self build' would we be able to start the mortgage rolling. Is it feasible to get a standard mortgage pulled together during the last month or two of build...giving us time to receive the money & pay builder within 2 weeks? ie...Does a mortgage need the kitchen & a single working bathroom before we can start the ball rolling, or does the mortgage need any other triggers to allow us to start the process? Emailed our mortgage advisor, but she will take a few days to reply to me...just want to see if I can get any comfort beforehand. Thanks very much

Makes you wonder what would happen if someone managed to break in? How would the property owner rectify, resolve etc...how would he find out?

I quite like it! ?

As above in notching, though electricians & plumbers willfully carry it out in a very regularly basis. Sister the joists if you have already done it, & suggest screwing a metal plate over the pipe to avoid screws being driven into the joust overlap. Providing you arnt loading the floor up excessively you should be fine... Its just bad practise.

That's really poor, apologies i can't offer a solution, but that's not acceptable by a long shot! Good luck!

I get the emotional desire to do more, but you'd never recoup that outlay in actual cost savings, even 20 years of living there! Insulation is a law of diminishing returns.... Your U values already put you into the top 1% of housing stock I'd bet. They are very good as is. Be very very sure there isn't a more tangible use for that money, one that reflects actual material benefit to you....solar panels? Mature tree planting? Quiet & covered seating area in the garden etc etc?

Government have already made it clear they are looking to reduce this on elec & apply it to gas! That being said, for OP, I'd stick with current boiler until it dies. Don't replace it for the sake of it. ASHP is a long term solution, space protect for it... But use your existing until it gives you an imperitive to change.

Sorry for the layman's question, but where is the air passing through? It looks like the window is silicone to the brickwork already? Just as ill be in a similar situation in a couple of months, I'm keen to be educated! Thanks

Fully this, we were hit with £2000 costs for stupid tree stuff we could have avoided by cutting them down ourselves. We did get away with bat's by demoliting before we were told to have full surveys. DESPITE ecology report saying no bats!! Otherwise that'd have been another £2000++ Our builder saved (his!!) costs by sending all the brick & hard-core off in several farm trailers for them to use for field entrances etc etc. I bet that was a few grand saved in skips!

I'm not so sure... I think most won't know what it is & will just see an EPC rating and be happy with it. The difference between being top 2% vs top 10% just isn't that meaningful to average Joe, even with higher energy bills hitting us all If OP isn't designing his forever home, just get the architect to design it for a SAP of 91 (or a B and be 81 ) and leave it at that. Anything more then this is money you simply won't recoup.

My very layman's description: Grout is cement based and used for tiles etc where there is no movement & reasonable gaps. Slightly porous. Silicon is the super flexible stuff that goes on around wall to floor interfaces etc. Showers, shower trays, toilet to floor, around sinks etc etc.Totally water proof Very very different method for application. For a novice, silicone can be tricky to get the hang of! Spend plenty of time on YouTube researching techniques & tools, then practise several times before you try it for real! Eith those gaps you will probably only have one go at doing it neatly.

You could try silicone, in a colour very similar to your tiles? Use a silicone scraper to ensure a flush finish & clean up of over spill. Might take some time & patience, but im sure it'd do the job? Again, test in a small discrete area first.

If the gaps less then 1mm you'll be probably struggle to grout it? I'd be tempted to try the LTP grout sealing spray thoroughly into the gaps to seal the concete behind & then just leave it. You could try grouting a small area as a test, but I'd be more worried about visual risks then damp risks, esp if it isn't directly in the shower area.

Never even considered this! Ours is bang on 900mm, I almost think it's slightly too tall now that I think about it. I'm sure our previous wasn't slightly lower, we had to cut 20mm out of the kickboard for the dishwasher at our last place.

Use your EPC rating, which I imagine would have used the assumptions made at time of construction?

Try a new stiff tooth brush, that helped with ours, that or lay flat a Stanley knife blade, to dig a bit more out. Then ensure clean & thin bead of silicone!

This is exactly what we did, cost around 8% more (as you don't pay 20% VAT)...but you get a brand new home!